Edo Castle, Japan
Early November 1836
The message had been understood.
That alone had changed everything.
Before, the presence of the foreign ship had been something unclear, something that could be dismissed as exaggeration or confusion. Now, there were no doubts left. The letter had been read, the intentions laid out in direct terms, and the name behind it had been explained in full.
France was not like the others.
That was no longer a matter of opinion.
It was fact.
Inside Edo Castle, the council had been called once again. This time, there was no delay in gathering them. The matter could not be left to pass through layers of discussion over weeks. It required a decision now, while the foreign fleet still waited in the bay.
The chamber was quiet when the senior officials entered.
Not silent in the way of ceremony, but in the way of people who understood that what would be decided here would not remain within these walls.
